Rain
by NicNack4U
Summary: It's the summer before fifth grade. Phoebe's on vacation, Helga's bored, and tired of being ignored. So what does she do? Go for a walk. But then she ends up at a certain someone's house...


**Beginning Author's Notes:** Hey, guys! I know you're waiting for me to update "A Second Chance", but I just don't think that's possible. I'm thinking of deleting it, rewriting it, and upload it up again. I keep trying to write the next chapter, but I keep getting stuck. So, be warned, and keep a look out! Also, this came to me when it started raining at my house. I hate/love rain, and I figure since Helga really is a sweet girl deep inside, she'd hate/love rain, too. (But, I also think she'd especially love rain 'cause of the memory she has of meeting Arnold!) So, here it is, guys! Enjoy! Oh, also, this happens after FTi, April Fool's Day, etc. TJM & The Pataki's, obviously, didn't happen yet.

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Helga hated rain. She hated it and loved it all the same. Hated it because she was stuck inside her lonely and cold house, listening to her father yelling at the television and her mother snoring at the kitchen counter with a smoothie in her hand, the other tucked on her cheek. Helga was in her room, looking out her window, wishing it didn't have to rain. Not now, at least.

She loved the rain because of the wonderful memory it held. The first day of pre-school. She had asked both of her parents to take her, but they were too busy feeding Olga comments to even notice. But, then, once she got to the front doors of the school, an umbrella appeared. Confused, little Helga looked to see who had sheltered her from the cold rain. A little football-shaped headed boy, who looked to be about her age.

Ever since then, she'd learned to love the football-headed boy and the cold rain. But then, she still hated it too when she remembered that her parents seemed to care about Olga, and Olga only.

Shaking herself away from the past (and sadly, present), the now nine-year-old Helga G. Pataki sighed, fashioning her trademark scowl, glaring at the ugly and demon-like dark sky. She scoffed.

"Why couldn't it just rain when we go back to school?! It's _summer_! It's not supposed to rain!"

Indeed, it was summer vacation for Helga and the other fourth-graders. Everybody Helga knew was on vacation somewhere else, Phoebe included. But what she didn't know was that Arnold didn't go anywhere, either.

Helga sighed again, and grabbed her purple jacket off of her bed, which had a purple blanket with white lining at the top, white sheets and purple and pink throw pillows. Her Raggedy-Ann and hand-made Arnold dolls sat on top of them. She shook her head.

"I don't care if it's raining or not! I need to get out of here for awhile."

And, with that, she ran down the stairs as fast as she could and flew out the door, calling out, "I'll be home later!", not caring if Bob or Miriam heard her or not, and slammed the door shut. She didn't care where her feet carried her. Just as long as it wasn't back to her house. Not now, anyway.

**-Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!-**

Arnold laughed and shook his head. "Grandpa, you really are too much sometimes. I told you Mr. Kakoshka would eat all the leftovers!"

Phil chuckled, sticking his thumbs through his overall straps, rocking back and forth on his heels. He leaned his right shoulder against the doorframe of his grandson's bedroom. "Aww, it was all in the fun, Shortman!"

Arnold chuckled too as he cocooned himself in his bedsheets. "Yeah, but still, Grandpa! You really shouldn't have made that bet with him! Now he's gonna be sick to his stomache for a month!"

Phil laughed. "Ah, I'm sure he'll be fine!.." He paused as his stomache rumbled. He winced. "Oohh, speaking of being sick to the stomach, gotta to my office! Goodnight, Arnold! See ya in the mornin'! Pookie's makin' waffles, but I wouldn't try eatin' 'em!"

Arnold laughed as his grandfather rushed out of his room, closing the door behind him. He shook his head and yawned, hoping to have sweet, uninterrupted dreams.

That is, until he heard a noise among the rain that sounded like a mix between a _**-THUD!- **_and a _**-CLANK!- **_followed by a voice Arnold recognized as.... HELGA'S?! What was HELGA doing on his roof?! And then, he saw it. Wet, messy hair drooped down, raindrops falling from it, pink bow askew on top of her head, rain falling down her face. And..her expressions. Arnold looked closely and noticed that she had a look of a deer caught in headlights and...scared? What was she scared of? Of him? Why?

Shaking out of his thoughts, he hurried to the skyroof to let her in. "Thanks, Arnold," she said as she tried to ge inside his room. She tried, but slipped a little. "Ugh! Stupid rain water!"

Arnold chuckled, holding out a hand. "Here, let me help you."

Too tired to argue or put up her defensive walls, she gratefully took Arnold's hand as he guided her to the couch Gerald usually slept on when he spent the night there.

Surprised that Helga hadn't pushed him away yet or yelled at him, he decided to stay quiet, taking in her appearance once more. He wondered what she was doing, at _his_ house, in _this _weather, and at _that _time of night! He wondered what she was thinking, with her legs crossed Indian style on "Gerald's" couch and her hands laced together, resting on her lap. He wondered why she was so mean to him (and to only him, it seemed, he thought), why she never let anyone see who she really is (besides Phoebe, ..sometimes, and him...sometimes), and why she said what she said to him on the FTi rooftop.

Arnold sighed. He didn't know, of course. But he knew he was going to have fun learning while Helga began talking to him and explaining anything and everything she did to him, for him, because of him.

He smiled. Sure, they were too young to understand what love is, but Helga, even at such a young age, just _knew_. And he knew that he'd be learning pretty soon, too.

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**End Author's Notes:** Whoo-hoo!! YEAH! It's finished!! Yay! As I said, this just came to me as it was raining at my house, and now it just stopped. What the freak? Anyway, I wanted to try a different ending than most HA! fics or one-shots. I hope it came out original and believable. I haven't seen a fic end like this since everyone stopped writing after the movie. Oh well. But, I've brought originality back!! Whoo! Yay me!! Lolz. Sorry if I sound hyper. I'm just SO happy to've writen this. Hope you liked it!!


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